Team Sky with new leader, Tasmanian Richie Porte, second left, powers through the seventh stage of the Tour de France.Source: AP

RICHIE Porte has the mental capacity to step up to his new role as Sky team leader and succeed, his manager, Dave Brailsford, believes.

The 29-year-old Tasmanian has been thrust from chief back-up to principal player in Team Sky after reigning Tour de France champion Chris Froome pulled out injured.

Froome was the hot favourite coming into the race having dominated last year, but Vin­cenzo Niblai is in yellow and 2½ minutes ahead of new favourite Alberto Contador.

Porte is perhaps the closest of Nibali’s challengers as he is the only rider within two minutes of the Italian apart from young Pole Michal Kwiatkowski at 50sec, who is something of an unknown quantity.

Yesterday’s 234.5km seventh stage, from Epernay in Champagne district to eastern Nancy, was won by Italian Matteo Trentin.

It was the latest instalment of a first week of many spills, including Froome’s.

Froome’s misfortune was Porte’s opportunity, Brailsford said, and the positive vibes coming from the Australian were infectious.

“It’s funny when you’ve got existing riders who get a new opportunity, it makes them ­excited and that excitement passes around all the group and the staff,” he said.

“It’s a slightly different challenge than coming here with somebody that’s one of the favourites and then all of sudden you’ve got someone else who thinks, ‘Wow this is fantastic.’

“It’s changed the mentality really, and it’s positive.”

Brailsford said Porte was relishing his change of status.

“Richie’s confidence has grown a lot over the last couple of years. Winning Paris-Nice [last year] was a big moment for him. His belief system has kicked on from there.

“It was unfortunate he got sick in Tirreno [in March] and he really wanted his opportunity in the Giro [in May], and I think he’d have gone terrifically well.

“He’s so close and when you’ve got your opportunity you’ve got to grasp it. That’s life and I think he’s grasping it.”

Porte suffered one disastrous stage in last year’s Tour where he lost more than 10 minutes but otherwise was a constant companion for ­Froome in the mountains, even putting time into most of his team leader’s rivals.

He hasn’t gone so well in the early part of this year as he was pulled off the defence of his Paris-Nice title to ride the Tirreno-Adriatico when ­Froome withdrew because of a back problem.